Under The Sakura Tree
by Daniela Deshaies
Summary: In my dream, I was in front of a Sakura Tree , beside it is a small pond. In one of the branches , I saw a man. A man whose thoughts are somewhere far away , and his eyes are full of sadness and pain.It was like he's waiting for an old love that will never come back again. Who is this man in the Sakura tree ? Why is he so sad ? Why is his thoughts so far away from where he is ?.
1. Dream

I remember it.

My dream , ever since we moved here in town. In my dream , there was a small pond and beside it was a big Sakura tree in full bloom. The petals we're dancing around because of the wind. Then , In one of the biggest branches of the tree , was a man. His thought's seemed so far away and his eyes was full of sadness. Just watching the man there makes my heart ache. It's as if he's waiting for an old love that will never come back.

That's always my dream , every night. The man sitting on a branch of the sakura tree and the pond beside it. In my other dreams , before we moved into our new home , If there's a person , their face was always blank , I could only see their body. But , this was different. I could see his face , I could read his eyes , I could feel the longing and the sadness. Such sadness , that gives me tears. In my dream , he never noticed me , maybe because his thoughts was too far or maybe because he's really occupied by the sadness. My dream , always starts and ends there. The clear pond reflecting the sky , the sakura tree that is in full blossom and that man. I never moved , I just stare at him for the rest of my dream until I wake up. My only wish is that , I can somehow help that man on my dream. Make him smile perhaps or listen to his story. Because sometimes , telling someone your story will lessen the weight you're carrying on your shoulders.

' Hello ? earth to danielle ? ' I was lost in thought again. I always do this , well sometimes I do. Today , we were getting a tour as a class to a traditional house back in the old days.

It was a big estate and It looked well preserved. Our guide said that , we are only given permission to explore a quarter of the estate because there are still people who is leaving there. My class got really lucky , at least that was my teacher said. He said that he knows the owner of the house and he gave us permission to explore but , It was limited. Still , it's still a great opportunity since they said that it's really mysterious.

' sorry for dozing off , where were we ? ' I asked her , she pouted and I smiled.  
' We can go to lunch ! ' she said sighing then smiling after.  
' Okay then , we can find our spot then start eating ' we both agreed but , before that we called two of our other friends , Mae and Mikaela.

Claire, I met her in one of my classes. She's really talkative and open , that's why we got really close and inseparable in a short amount of time. Mae, she's my seatmate when I first came , she welcomed me and we became friends after that , she's the very first person I trusted in school. Lastly Mikaela , I just met her recently. She's really pretty and nice. Even though I just met her , It's feels like we've known each other longer because we talk about random things. These 3 are just some of my friends Phia and Tina didn't go simply because they're not part of our class.

While on the lookout for looking a spot for lunch Mae asked me to come with her to the washroom. I agreed , Mikaela and Claire were the ones who said that will look a spot. It's really easy to look for the washroom since there were signs put up. I guess , the owners of the estate did this so that we won't get lost. It's big really , it's easy to get lost. Especially if it's you're first time.

Mikaela came looking for me and mae while we're looking for them after we went to the washroom. She was really jumpy when she found us. She said they found the perfect spot and Claire is setting up. We didn't have time to react since , she grabbed our hands then ran. We were , running through the hallways. It's funny how she did know the area and she's just dragging us along with her.

Then , we finally turned to a hallway and then she stopped. I looked up ahead and saw , up ahead , a small pond and then right beside it was a sakura tree in full blossom. It was swaying with the wind so strong , the petals looks like it's flying. It was the same scenery in my dream. I looked around the surrounding to check. It really was the same place in my dream. Then , Claire called us and said that it was her who discovered it. I ignored it and tuned them out for a bit because I was amazed to see up close for real. Even though I always see it in my dream , it's still different when you see it for real. I touched the tree , and looked up hoping to see that man I always see in my dream. Unfortunately , he's not there. But the branch was the same and everything is the same except that , he wasn't there. Maybe because , he doesn't exist in real life , just someone I made up in my dream world. Still , he felt so real , his emotions and everything.

My thoughts were waved away when Mae told me it was time for lunch since we only have an hour and thirty minutes , which is a long time for me. But , not for them because they said they want to enjoy their spot.

While we're enjoying eating , a man possibly in his 30's sat in our laid out blanket starting to eat the food he could reach. My friends and I exchanged looks , trying to see who has the courage to ask the strange man. He is good looking and is really familiar , his hair is long and protruded outward from the back of his head. The color of his hair is gold on top and black on the bottom. He's wearing a black kimono and to be honest he is really good looking. So I took a deep breath and asked him.

' excuse me sir but who are you ? ' I asked as nice as I can , I smiled at him and he studied my face. Meanwhile my friends were giving me questioned faces. I know they didn't expect this kind of question but , I'm the one being pressured here.

' Oh , people call me nurarihyon , I'm the owner of this house ' he said and I looked back at my friends , they looked surprised.

' It's nice to meet you sir , thank you so much for allowing us to explore your home ' I said then he smiled at me and said.

' that's not a problem at all , by the way you lot are not supposed to be here but , I'll give you permission since I ate some of your meal. It tastes really good by the way. ' he said starting to get up. My friends sighed in relief and I glared at them with a hint of smile. Before we could say anything suddenly , someone yelled.

' OLD MAD ! where the hell are you !? ' It was a younger voice , than his and sort of really intimidating. The owner of the house which is nurarihyon grunted a little and sighed.

' I'm here idiot son ! use your eyes dimwit !' I was really surprised of the relationship , I'm guessing this father-and-son relationship of them is really open. If that was my dad , he would yell at me. I realized my friends were staring and giggling. I giggled a little , I can't hold back.

It wasn't long before there were footsteps nearing. I didn't looked up since I was packing up the food that the old man undid when he ate. My friends , were nudging each other and I looked up at them. Claire , was glaring at me and I raised my eyebrow at her , she glared more. I got her message , I looked at the other direction and saw that man whose I've always been dreaming since the day we moved.

That's why , the old man looked really familiar when I first saw him. The resemblance was very clear. I was staring him , hes here in front of me talking to his father. I finally saw him , the sad wandering man on the sakura tree. He has gold eyes and his hair was long and ponytailed. The right part of his face was covered by his hair and he's wearing a kimono just like in my dream.

I realized I was staring for too long , cause when mae nudged me I was surprised and dropped the lunch box. Thanked god it's already closed. Claire , knowing me smiled and I shooked my head but smiled. We continued cleaning up our stuff and then checked the time , we have an hour left till we go back to the site we're we will evaluate the day. So , we decided to stay there while it's not yet time.

' Anyways , thank you ladies for the food ! ' the old man said and I smiled.  
' It was no problem , thank you for letting us come to your residence ' I said.  
' yes , yes enjoy yourselves ! ' he said. That man ,was looking at us examining our faces. I wanted to say something but , something's holding me back. I wanted to tell him , that I always see him in my dream. I want to tell him that It's going to be okay somehow. But , i don't have the guts.

They were starting to walk away , I was starting to doubt that I will never comfort him. They were going and I stood up. I didn't notice , I didn't feel , I was crying. My hands were on my mouth and I was reaching out him. My friends noticed me , Mikaela snapped me back to reality. Claire hugged me and then mae. I'm only thankful because the two of them didn't notice.

I was still stuck that I cried. I was holding back my tears , because i don't cry on the outside anymore. It took me a long time , to control my tears and now , it's just useless. I didn't know why I cried , It just suddenly fell. Maybe these tears are for him because , In the nature that I saw. He's not the type of person who would show his tears. But still , I felt so helpless to see him there in front of me but , I couldn't do anything to help him. Even in my dreams , I couldn't reach him. He's so far away in both reality and illusion. Now , the question was , why do I care about that man ? whom I never even know his very own name.

When I came to , I told the three of them everything. About the scenery and my dreams in this place. But , I didn't mention the sadness I feel when I see him in the tree branch. They didn't budge a second when I was telling the story and when I finished I didn't think they would believe me. They said , they understood now. Why I was always lost in thought and why I stared into space when I saw the tree and him. They said it all put the puzzle pieces together. I was just thankful , thankful that they understood.

After that , we headed back to the meeting place. Our teacher checked attendance and started talking for about 30 minutes. Then finally , he gave us handouts to fill. It was really easy to fill in , I was done in about 10 minutes. I handed in the paper and excused myself , so that I can go to the washroom.

I didn't know getting lost was horrible. I was probably walking around for about 5 minutes. I was looking for signs , like earlier but I couldn't find any. I wasn't really expecting something to happen but , I found myself on the sakura tree. I didn't know how I got there. I just found myself there in-front of it with the wind going to the right. The idea of going to the washroom was erased and I walked closer to tree again , touching it. Then , I looked up. It was him , It was just like in my dream. His thoughts were so far and his eyes were full of sadness just like in my dream.

I thought he wouldn't notice me but , this is reality after all. He looked down on me with his gold eyes. Then he leaped down gracefully , I don't even know how he did it but It was amazing how. I examined him as he stared at me. Even now , I could still see the sadness or even loneliness in his eyes. It was painful to see that's why I looked away.

' Uh - I'm sorry , If I disturbed you or something. I was just walking back to my friends but , I got lost and wandered off here ' I said , then started walking away. I did it again , I couldn't tell him what I want to tell.

' Do you know your way back then ? ' he asked , I finally heard his voice. His voice I wanted to hear for so long. It was soothing and somehow it made me feel at home. Before I could even respond I tripped into a stone I think and then I was waiting for the fall but then , I was stopped. I felt someone's strong , built arms around me.

' Are you okay ? you're a clumsy one are you ? ' He asked , how dare he say i'm clumsy in front of me.

' the names Danielle not clumsy and uh can you let go now ? ' i asked and I think he just noticed the position we're in. He jerked off his hand , then looked away.

' Rihan Nura and you're welcome ' he said sarcastically.  
' Thank you and can you please show me the way back ? ' I asked humbly , he nodded and then started walking.

I looked back at the sakura tree , I closed my eyes and felt the wind blowing against me, the sound of the tree dancing with the air and the smell of it. I finally opened my eyes to look at it. This maybe the last time I'll see it too in reality but , I'll always see it in my dreams as long as I'll dream of Rihan. Now , I already know his name , that man in the sakura tree.

' Beautiful isn't it ? ' I realized he was standing beside me now , admiring the tree. Looking at him sideways , I can see his deceiving eyes. I wondered how many people has been deceived by those eyes. Then he looked at me and I turned away , looking back at the sakura tree.

' Yes , It certainly is. This may be the last time i'll ever see it. That's why I'm going to take a good look at it ' I said , even though I'll see it in my dreams anyway.

' The last time ? ' he asked.

' Yes , I don't think I can ever come back here again. I'm just a student , having a trip in your estate anyways. We were just lucky that you're father allowed us to eat under the tree a few hours ago ' I said smiling at him.

' I see , just having a trip huh ? he said.

' I have to go , they must be looking for me now. ' I said , then he agreed. He led me through the hallways.

There was an awkward silence while walking , the silence of the hallways made it more awkward though. So I decided to break the ice.

' Hey can I ask you a question ? ' Then he looked at me , turning on another hallway.

' sure ' he said waiting for his question.

' why are you always frowning ? ' This is it. With this question I can tell him what I've always wanted to say.

' I don't know , is that all ? ' He said. I could tell from the look of his eyes that he's lying. I smiled and said

' you're lying aren't you ? but nevermind. If you don't want to talk about it. I just want to tell you that people who frown doesn't bring happiness. People who smile are the ones who bring happiness ' I told him , for a minute there he didn't respond then

' I don't know how to ' Then I stopped walking until he noticed. He looked back then I walked towards him face to face. Without thinking , I squeezed both of his cheeks then stretched it. I giggled then let go.

' that's how you smile rihan , now please smile for me ? ' I said then he tried smiling. Even though it's fake , seeing him smile like that makes me okay.

' Say how old are you ? ' I asked then he asked back.

' why do you want to know ? '

I ran forward , now I'm in front of him a little further. He was looking at me while I smiled at him.

' Even though I just met you today , I feel like I want to live longer than you so that I can watch over you. I don't know If we'll ever meet again but , If I ever do I'll make sure to stretch your cheeks again so that you can smile. Bye Rihan thank you and nice meeting you '

I smiled one last time then ran , remembering where I was going.I didn't wait for him to reply , I know I told him what I want to tell. I'm satisfied seeing him and I hope that one day he'll find the person who will finally make him smile for real and not just for stretching his cheeks.

At dusk , I arrived at home with a smile. I opened my curtains and then started doing my homework that is due that next morning. With a smile , and contented face. But then , deep inside me. I want to see Rihan again. Not just in my dream , I want to see him for real again. Even though I know It's impossible.

-

A week later after class , I was walking alone , looking at the sunset when I bumped into somebody. I was waiting for the pain of falling but , a strong pair of arms caught me. Like a deja vu perhaps.

' And you said you're not clumsy ? ' That familiar voice spoke. I looked but , I can't make out the face cause the sun is on his back. When he let go of me , I studied his face and he's rihan , but not rihan at the same time. His hair is like his dads , but the bottom of his hair is ponytailed. I can see both of his eyes too but , he quickly closed the right one.

' Rihan ? ' I questioned he nodded

' Oh , you haven't seen me in this form yet ' I was really confused.

' This form ? you lost me.' I said , then he smiled. Suddenly he carried me like I was nothing.

' Hey put me down ! ' I argued

' Listen up , I'm going to tell you a secret but , I don't want you to tell anyone okay ? ' He said with a serious tone.

' I won't tell ' I said , then he smiled.

The next thing I knew , I was flying. Not me , but a snake was flying and we are on top of it. It was scary , since I'm afraid of heights so I gripped his wrists.

' Are you scared ? ' he asked

' Well , not with the snake and not to mention these yokai behind us but the heights. Still , I can manage ' I said looking down the looking away. He explained everything about his family and I understood it. He has many loyal followers just looking at it.

I was finally getting a grip on the heights and the beautiful view both up and down when I saw him frowning again.

' Hey , Rihan you're frowning again ! ' I protested then grabbed his face and stretched his cheek making him smile.

' Look I may be a clumsy one but that's better than a commander whose always frowning. Seriously , you're lucky you have really loyal followers whose beside you even though you're always frowning ' I said letting go , then he smiled , not like last time that is fake but , it was real.

' There you go ! you're finally smiling' I said. Then , he dropped me off in front of our house. He went down for a bit.

' Thank you ' he said and then I smiled and said

' No , thank you for the amazing ride. Now , go on and continue your parade ' I said starting to head on our house. But he stopped me by grabbing my wrist.

' Two days from now , The Sakura tree will be in full bloom. I'll be here , can you come ? ' He asked , his voice earnest and stern.

' I'd love to ! ' I said. I heard his parade whistling with that. I pushed him then.

' Go , they're waiting for you ' I waved at them and they waved back. Kejoro smiled at me , I smiled back.

' I'm off then. ' he said , jumping up. I waved goodbye until they're out of sight. I went inside our house. Greeting my parents then going to my room , thinking about what happened today.

Whispers. I heard Whispers , I slightly open my eyes to see myself to an unfamiliar place. I was tied up and is hanging on the ceiling. I realized , my body was numb and there was blood coming out of my mouth and thighs. Both of my hands are scratched and I can feel the sting. My throat was dry , that's why I can't speak and my vision is still too blurry to recognize the one's who I think abducted me.

' Oh look , she's awake. The one who the second heir is courting right now. Let me tell you sweetheart , you've been asleep for two days now. Look , at your torn body full of blood. What do you say we add more scratches so that when , her beloved second heir comes. He'll never recognize her ' There was a cheer after that , and I felt someone slapping me from left to right and then I felt pain on my thighs again. All I could do is scream , all I heard was laughter.

They were not ordinary people since they know Rihan's true Identity , they must be yokai's the bad ones whose against his laws. I can't feel anything anymore , My vision is not getting any good and I started to loose the noise I'm hearing. They're dangerous and I don't want Rihan coming here just to rescue me from them. I want him to be safe , I want him to smile not rescue a girl like me. It's just useless.

Then , I lost everything. The feeling , the noise , all that's left is my sense of smell. I didn't know how long I was there conscious now but , I can just not in my instincts that the person who scratched me is still there. Before she scratched me , There was coldness and anger in her voice , and that time all I wanna do is just cover my ears but I can't.

I lost track of time too , If she said before was true then , tonight I was supposed to meet rihan. But , I couldn't cause I'm here right now abducted by people i don't know. I just wish Rihan wouldn't do reckless things.

The next thing I knew , I was on the concrete , I can feel my body again. I can hear shouting and someone calling my name. Someone was holding me tight , someone was saying I'm sorry , someone saying that she'll pay for what happened to me.

I opened my eyes and there I saw Rihan. It was him , he's the one calling for me , holding me tight , he's saying he's sorry and he's the one whos saying she'll pay for this. Rihan was frowning again , he was sad. So even though , I felt a huge pain on both of my arms , I moved it slowly but surely reaching out to him and pulling his cheeks.

' I finally reached you Rihan , all this time. I told you didn't I ? I may be clumsy but it's better than a commander whose always frowning. Go I'll be okay , just a little rest is all' I said , then with that I lost consciousness.

I woke up in a futon bed , It was morning and the sun is peeking. The door was open , I checked myself to see that I have no more wounds left. No trace of any scratch or even the pain. Rihan must've have did this , because as he said he inherited healing powers from his late mother.  
I fixed the bed and went out. The first thing I saw was the Sakura Tree in full bloom , It's so beautiful that I can stare at it for the rest of my life if it's possible. I walked closer to it , staring up.

' You're awake ' I heard his voice , Rihan. I turned and smiled at him

' Yes , thank you for tending my wound rihan , I don't even know how to repay you for saving me ' I said , but he shook his head and then he reached out his hand. I reached out mine and then suddenly.

He pulled into himself , hugging me tight.

' I wanted to ask you something ' He said pushing me slowly , I looked at him.

' Be my wife ? ' he said with a straightforward look I smiled.

' That would be quite the challenge since , I'll be taking care of someone who is always frowning ' I crossed my arms and looked away trying to hide my smile away.

' I'll smile as much as you want see ? ' He showed me his smile and this time It was for real and I laughed. I walked closer to him , running my fingers to his face , then removing the long hair from his right eye. There , I saw who rihan is.

He's a man who is really carefree and a man in a state of peace. He can reckless but , that's what makes him unique as a commander. He can be really aggressive and over-protective when it comes to his loved ones. He's really open to his dad and lastly he slightly a perverted old man. But this man , who is a hundred years older than me is the very man who I've always dreamt of every night.

I finally found my answer , I looked him in the eye and said.

' Rihan , I answered that question the first very day I met you. If you don't remember , you need to take medication because you're getting old ' I smiled turning away walking towards the tree.

'Even though I just met you today , I feel like I want to live longer than you so that I can watch over you. I don't know If we'll ever meet again but , If I ever do I'll make sure to stretch your cheeks again so that you can smile. Bye Rihan thank you and nice meeting you'

From behind , he hugged me. I looked up to the branch where I always see him in my dream smiling.

' I remember. That was really an Indirect way of saying - ' I stopped him.  
' yes ' With that , he spinned me around until I fall into his arms.

Rihan's strong protective arms.

Someday , I'll tell Rihan when I first met him. Someday , I'll tell him why I told him those words and someday when the time comes I'll tell our child how I met his father..

_under the Sakura Tree._


	2. Dream - Revised

Iremember it.

My dream , ever since we moved here in town. In my dream , there was a small pond and beside it was a big Sakura tree in full bloom. The petals we're dancing around because of the wind. Then , In one of the biggest branches of the tree , was a man. His thought's seemed so far away and his eyes was full of sadness. Just watching the man there makes my heart ache. It's as if he's waiting for an old love that will never come back.

That's always my dream , every night. The man sitting on a branch of the sakura tree and the pond beside it. In my other dreams , before we moved into our new home , If there's a person , their face was always blank , I could only see their body. But , this was different. I could see his face , I could read his eyes , I could feel the longing and the sadness. Such sadness , that gives me tears. In my dream , he never noticed me , maybe because his thoughts was too far or maybe because he's really occupied by the sadness. My dream , always starts and ends there. The clear pond reflecting the sky , the sakura tree that is in full blossom and that man. I never moved , I just stare at him for the rest of my dream until I wake up. My only wish is that , I can somehow help that man on my dream. Make him smile perhaps or listen to his story. Because sometimes , telling someone your story will lessen the weight you're carrying on your shoulders.

' Hello ? earth to danielle ? ' I was lost in thought again. I always do this , well sometimes I do. Today , we were getting a tour as a class to a traditional house back in the old days.

It was a big estate and It looked well preserved. Our guide said that , we are only given permission to explore a quarter of the estate because there are still people who is leaving there. My class got really lucky , at least that was my teacher said. He said that he knows the owner of the house and he gave us permission to explore but , It was limited. Still , it's still a great opportunity since they said that it's really mysterious.

' sorry for dozing off , where were we ? ' I asked her , she pouted and I smiled.  
' We can go to lunch ! ' she said sighing then smiling after.  
' Okay then , we can find our spot then start eating ' we both agreed but , before that we called two of our other friends , Mae and Mikaela.

Claire, I met her in one of my classes. She's really talkative and open , that's why we got really close and inseparable in a short amount of time. Mae, she's my seatmate when I first came , she welcomed me and we became friends after that , she's the very first person I trusted in school. Lastly Mikaela , I just met her recently. She's really pretty and nice. Even though I just met her , It's feels like we've known each other longer because we talk about random things. These 3 are just some of my friends Phia and Tina didn't go simply because they're not part of our class.

While on the lookout for looking a spot for lunch Mae asked me to come with her to the washroom. I agreed , Mikaela and Claire were the ones who said that will look a spot. It's really easy to look for the washroom since there were signs put up. I guess , the owners of the estate did this so that we won't get lost. It's big really , it's easy to get lost. Especially if it's you're first time.

Mikaela came looking for me and mae while we're looking for them after we went to the washroom. She was really jumpy when she found us. She said they found the perfect spot and Claire is setting up. We didn't have time to react since , she grabbed our hands then ran. We were , running through the hallways. It's funny how she did know the area and she's just dragging us along with her.

Then , we finally turned to a hallway and then she stopped. I looked up ahead and saw , up ahead , a small pond and then right beside it was a sakura tree in full blossom. It was swaying with the wind so strong , the petals looks like it's flying. It was the same scenery in my dream. I looked around the surrounding to check. It really was the same place in my dream. Then , Claire called us and said that it was her who discovered it. I ignored it and tuned them out for a bit because I was amazed to see up close for real. Even though I always see it in my dream , it's still different when you see it for real. I touched the tree , and looked up hoping to see that man I always see in my dream. Unfortunately , he's not there. But the branch was the same and everything is the same except that , he wasn't there. Maybe because , he doesn't exist in real life , just someone I made up in my dream world. Still , he felt so real , his emotions and everything.

My thoughts were waved away when Mae told me it was time for lunch since we only have an hour and thirty minutes , which is a long time for me. But , not for them because they said they want to enjoy their spot.

While we're enjoying eating , a man possibly in his 30's sat in our laid out blanket starting to eat the food he could reach. My friends and I exchanged looks , trying to see who has the courage to ask the strange man. He is good looking and is really familiar , his hair is long and protruded outward from the back of his head. The color of his hair is gold on top and black on the bottom. He's wearing a black kimono and to be honest he is really good looking. So I took a deep breath and asked him.

' excuse me sir but who are you ? ' I asked as nice as I can , I smiled at him and he studied my face. Meanwhile my friends were giving me questioned faces. I know they didn't expect this kind of question but , I'm the one being pressured here.

' Oh , people call me nurarihyon , I'm the owner of this house ' he said and I looked back at my friends , they looked surprised.

' It's nice to meet you sir , thank you so much for allowing us to explore your home ' I said then he smiled at me and said.

' that's not a problem at all , by the way you lot are not supposed to be here but , I'll give you permission since I ate some of your meal. It tastes really good by the way. ' he said . My friends sighed in relief and I glared at them with a hint of smile.

We let the owner Nurarihyon eat on our laid out blanket. While eating , he told many stories about yokai's and myths. It's not really surprising to hear him share those stories. I just have the feeling that he's that kind of person who likes storytelling. With just one look at him , I can tell that he's enjoying what he's doing.

There it is again. The familiar resemblance of the man I always see in my dream at night. But , i waved it off in my mind , telling that it's just a coincidence. But , there's still a part of me that tells me that , this is not a coincidence.

How could a man who resembles the person in my dream be sitting on the very same spot where I always see him ?. I was waiting for an answer , I was waiting for something to happen.

But , nothing happened. I realized I was lost in thought again cause I have no idea where Nurarihyon is on his story. All I knew is they were all laughing and I was the one who is left out.

So , I excused myself to the washroom. It was just a silly excuse to get away for a minute in that scenery and from the Old guy. Thankfully , I wasn't lost going back for some reason I remembered exactly where it is. This time around , when I came back there was an addition to the group.

That certain addition was the answer to my question a few minutes ago. I rushed towards them panting , just to check if it's really him.

The sad wandering man on the Sakura tree is indeed right here in front of my eyes. He has gold eyes and his hair is long and ponytailed unlike his dad. The right part of his face is covered by his hair and he's wearing a kimono just like in my dream since the day we moved.

' Hey danielle , you're dozing off again ' Claire whispered to me and I turned away from him. I sat on my usual spot. We cleaned up since Nurarihyon finished eating , Mae offered him some food but he humbly declined saying he just ate.

We have an hour left until we get back to the site where our class our supposed to me. That's why , we decided to stay under the tree for the rest of the day.

' Anyways , thank you so much for the food ladies ' the old man said and as a response we thanked him too for giving us permission to stay.

' Thank you for letting us visit your residence ' Mikaela said and then He smiled.

' Enjoy yourselves ' Nurarihyon said.

' please do ' he said speaking for the very first time , towards us.

I wanted to tell him those words I always wanted to tell him. I wanted to tell him that I always see him in my dream. But , I don't have the guts because I'm a coward.

They started walking away and I started doubting myself. I started to doubt that I will never comfort him. I stood up and reached out my hand , wishing he would turn to me. I didn't even notice , I didn't even feel , I was already crying.

When my friends noticed , they let me seat and calmed me down. They were asking me a bunch of questions but , I didn't answer any of them. I just told them everything about my dream , about the man I always see and the sadness in his eyes every night.

I got scared again , just like I always do. I was unable to tell him the words I want to tell him. I couldn't reach him again , just like in my dreams. He's so close both in reality and in dreams but , why is he so far out of reach despite all this ? .

After that , we headed back to the meeting place. Our teacher checked attendance and started talking for about 30 minutes. Then finally , he gave us handouts to fill. It was really easy to fill in , I was done in about 10 minutes. I handed in the paper and excused myself , using the washroom as an excuse but , in reality I was going back to that place giving myself one last chance to tell him that's it's okay.

At some point , I got lost on the hallways that looks like mazes when you're alone. But , I found myself back on the Sakura Tree. The beautiful tree caught my breath again , It is really beautiful and majestic. I walked closer , feeling the breeze.

' Beautiful isn't it ? ' I heard someone's voice beside me and I immediately came to my senses. It was him , staring up to the tree just like me.

I stared at him , until he noticed. He then smiled at me. I felt it , It was fake It was forced and seeing those kind of smiles makes me emotional so I turned away walking back leaving him alone.

But , that's the worst option in the moment. Because I slipped. I closed my eyes waiting , just waiting for the pain and the fall on the ground. That didn't happen instead , i felt strong built arms around me and I was stopped.

I was still closing my eyes , until I heard a light chuckle and opened them. The first thing I saw first was his gold eyes looking at me. I looked away and removed his arms that is supporting me when I regained my balance.  
' Thank you ' I said smiling at him.

' You're welcome , I'm Rihan Nura ' he said saying his name. I didn't expect that to happen , he just blurted out his name all of a sudden and that caught me off guard.

Finally , I finally know the name of the man I've always dreamt. I smiled because of that and Introduced myself too.

' Danielle , and uh can you please show me the way back ? I can't seem to find the way ' I said , hiding away the embarrassment. He then agreed and started walking.

I took one last look at the Sakura Tree , knowing I wouldn't see it again in reality. As long as I dream of Rihan I'll always see this beautiful scenery. I'll remember the smell of the flower , the feeling of being there and the time I finally knew his name.

' You really like this tree don't you ? ' He was beside me again.

' Yes , this will be the second and last time I'll see it. That's why , I'll remember it for the rest of my life. I'm just a guest here after all and this is a private property ' I said turning away and started walking again.

' I see , a guest huh ?' he said leading the way.

There was silence , awkward silence between the two of us while we were walking so , I decided to break the ice.

' Say rihan , can I ask you a question ? ' I asked

' Hmm ? ' was just the response

' Why are you always faking your smile ? ' I asked. This is finally it. I can finally tell him what I've always want to tell.

' I don't know. Is that all ? ' he asked back. I could tell , he's lying.

' You're lying aren't you ? but nevermind if you don't walk to talk about it. I just want to tell you that people who frown doesn't bring happiness. People who are the ones who bring happiness ' I waited for him to answer.

' I don't know how to ' Then I stopped walking until he noticed. He looked back then I walked towards him face to face. Without thinking , I squeezed both of his cheeks then stretched it. I giggled then let go.

' that's how you smile rihan , now please smile for me ? ' I said then he tried smiling. Even though it's fake , seeing him smile like that makes me okay.

' Say how old are you ? ' I asked then he asked back.

' why ? '

I ran forward , now I'm in front of him a little further. He was looking at me while I smiled at him.

' Even though I just met you today , I feel like I want to live longer than you so that I can watch over you. I don't know If we'll ever meet again but , If I ever do I'll make sure to stretch your cheeks again so that you can smile. Bye Rihan thank you and nice meeting you '

I smiled one last time then ran , remembering where I was going.I didn't wait for him to reply , I know I told him what I want to tell. I'm satisfied seeing him and I hope that one day he'll find the person who will finally make him smile for real and not just for stretching his cheeks.

At dusk , I arrived at home with a smile. I opened my curtains and then started doing my homework that is due that next morning. With a smile , and contented face. But then , deep inside me. I want to see Rihan again. Not just in my dream , I want to see him for real again. Even though I know It's impossible.

Over a week later after class , I was walking alone , looking at the sunset when I accidentally bumped into somebody. I was waiting for the pain of falling but , a strong pair of arms caught me. Like a deja vu perhaps.

I steadied myself then apologize and thanked the one who caught me. Instead , I heard a chuckle in response.

I recognize that chuckle , that only belongs to one person. Rihan.

But who I saw was different , The person I saw has his hair like nurarihyon except his hair is all black and the bottom is ponytailed. I can see both of his eyes , and one of them are closed which is the right one.

' uh you look really familiar but , I think I got the wrong person ' i said then he chuckled again.

' It's me Rihan , don't you remember ?' I studied him closely , examining his face and I concluded that it was really him.

' What are you doing here ? ' I asked him , since his house is not a walking distance. It's okay If I asked him that question.

' Just taking a walk is all ' he said , then I started passing by him.

' Oh , why don't you pass by our house ? It's just on the corner , I can offer you a drink ' I said smiling at him and then he said.

' I know ' I was surprised by his answer , then he suddenly change his answer.

' Of course , thank you ' he said.

I introduced him to my parents since that's what I always do. Then , I offered him a seat in our living room. But , he said he'd rather sit outside our deck , so I agreed.

I prepared orange juice for him since I don't know what he likes. When I gave it to him , he smiled and I don't know why but it looks so convincing and real.

' So Rihan , why do you look so different ? ' I asked him then he got serious and looked at me.

' I'll tell you later ' But then , later never came and I completely forgot about it too. We talked about a lot of things and a lot of stuff that night that I completely forgot that I have assignments.

That's how it started. Rihan started coming over more often every night , what's weird is that he always shows up at our deck every night. I always see him sitting there and waiting for me. Then , he always jumps off and disappears every time he leaves which is really mysterious.

One night , he invited me to their estate and I agreed of course. He said it's two days from now and there he'll tell me everything about himself.

But that time , I didn't think that something bad would happen to me.

Whispers.

I heard Whispers , I slightly open my eyes to see myself to an unfamiliar place. I was tied up and is hanging on the ceiling. I realized , my body was numb and there was blood coming out of my mouth and thighs.

Both of my hands are scratched and I can feel the sting. My throat was dry , that's why I can't speak and my vision is still too blurry to recognize the one's who I think abducted me.

' Oh look , she's awake. The one who the second heir is courting right now. Let me tell you sweetheart , you've been asleep for two days now. Look , at your torn body full of blood. What do you say we add more scratches so that when , her beloved second heir comes. He'll never recognize her ' There was a cheer after that , and I felt someone slapping me from left to right and then I felt pain on my thighs again. All I could do is scream , all I heard was laughter.  
' Oh I heard the dear rihan never told you anything about himself ? ' The woman said. I didn't speak.

' Let me tell you dear , he just a demons of all demons. He commands all the youkai. He has the blood of human and youkai. Have you ever wondered why his appearance changed ? ' The woman said

My eyes widened and a sudden realization hit me. That's why he's always so mysterious and different. That's why he always disappears before he leaves at our house. But , why am I not surprised by this ? . Why am i not scared ?. Maybe , I was expecting someone to tell this to me. Maybe , this is what Rihan wants to tell me tonight.

Then , I lost everything. The feeling , the noise , all that's left is my sense of smell. I didn't know how long I was there conscious now but , I can just not in my instincts that the person who scratched me is still there. Before she scratched me , There was coldness and anger in her voice , and that time all I wanna do is just cover my ears but I can't.

I lost track of time too , If she said before was true then , tonight I was supposed to meet rihan. But , I couldn't cause I'm here right now abducted by people i don't know. I just wish Rihan wouldn't do reckless things.

The next thing I knew , I was on the concrete , I can feel my body again. I can hear shouting and someone calling my name. Someone was holding me tight , someone was saying I'm sorry , someone saying that she'll pay for what happened to me.

I opened my eyes and there I saw Rihan. It was him , he's the one calling for me , holding me tight , he's saying he's sorry and he's the one whos saying she'll pay for this. Rihan was frowning again , he was sad. So even though , I felt a huge pain on both of my arms , I moved it slowly but surely reaching out to him and pulling his cheeks.

' Look , you're frowning again. I told you to smile didn't I ? ' I said stretching his cheeks. I finally saw Rihan again , finally reached out to him. After that , the last sentence i heard was.

' He's the second's beloved , I won't let anyone touch her ! ' then everything faded away.

-

I woke up in a futon bed , It was morning and the sun is peeking. The door was open , I checked myself to see that I have no more wounds left. No trace of any scratch or even the pain. I didn't know who did this to me but , whoever that person is I'm in depth to him or her.

I saw him , when I was about to go out after fixing the bed. He was sitting , looking at tree in front of us. Then he turned and noticed me.  
' You're awake , how're you feeling ? ' He asked me , I smiled and said.

' I'm okay , thank you so much for saving me and please don't give me that apologetic look. ' I said , sitting beside him.

' I'm sorry I couldn't save you any sooner ' he said , It's as if he's blaming himself for what happened.

' Why are you sorry ? you saved me didn't you ? it's all over so let's forget about it ' I said cheerfully. Then I stood up and walked towards the tree.

' Listen Danielle I want to tell you that I- ' I cut him off by dragging him under the Sakura tree.

' I know everything about you being a youkai and you being a really busy person' I said looking at the tree.

' You're not scared ? ' he asked.

' If I am , I should've ran away right before I woke up silly ' I said then I laughed , he let out a small giggle.

' well then , If that's the case ' He then dragged me quickly going inside the house and opening a room which has many noises.

When he opened , there were a lot of youkai's partying and drinking , some of them are small and some of them looks like regular human beings.

' Oh she's awake ! ' someone said and everybody looked at us. I hid the embarrassment by hiding at the back of Rihan.

He led me to a sit and the youkai's introduced themselves , they were all really nice and welcoming. Rihan left as soon as he let me sit , he went over to his father and drink some sake.

' Hi ! I'm Kejoro ' the pretty girl with long hair said sitting in front of me.

' Hello nice to meet you I'm - ' I was cut off by her .

' I know exactly who you are , He's been going to your house lately right ? and believe me when we heard you got abducted he was enraged and hell broke loose ' Kejoro whispered and then we both smiled.

After a few minutes of talking with Kejoro , Rihan approached me and said

' Are you enjoying yourself ? ' he asked ,

' Yes I am thank you ' I responded.

' I just asked my father this , but I want you to be my wife '

With those words , the sound of celebrating and the noisy crowd suddenly silenced and I was left there staring at him. I looked around to see that everyone looked so surprised and is waiting for my answer.

In my case , I didn't know why he asked me this question. But , he looks so serious he never took his eyes off me.

' uhm uh , can I talk to you outside ? ' I said , then he agreed.

We walked outside the room and stopped into the hallways.

' I'm sorry I was really surprised , when you asked me that question but , Rihan why so sudden ? I asked him.

' For many reasons , but one of them is that because I want to spend the rest of my life with you ' He said seriously , I looked down.

' I'm still studying and I'm still young. I still don't know - ' I was cut off again by a hug a tight hug by his strong arms.

' I just want you here with me ' he said softly

' If you're willing to wait for me ' I said , It was really indirect but , i think he get's it. He pushed me gently and then he looked me in the eye.

' I'm going to wait for you but , I won't wait forever remember that.' I know he won't wait that long.

' yes of course, there's so much I want to tell you , so much I wanna share but , I'll save that for the next time we meet ' I said

' I have many things to tell you too , but It can wait right ? ' he said smiling at me.

' I'll be going then , Rihan ' I said, he slowly released me from his grip and let me go.

' I'll be waiting for you ' he said , almost a whisper.

' Where ? ' I asked before leaving

'Under the Sakura Tree'


End file.
